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Opinion: More Money with Ugly Theme?

I'd like to throw this out to everyone who makes money from AdSense and affiliate programs, which is better, an ugly theme (or at least a very plain theme), or an attractive visually appealing theme? There is a vote as well.

I consider an ugly or plain theme one that makes the reader just want to get out of there, or the colours are so bland it becomes hard work reading the page. An attractive design would make best use of fonts and colours to make the reader want to read more.

It doesn't matter mate...
If your UGLY template is TOO UGLY, most people will just click away..
If your template is NICE, like InterTet.org :: Do you want some? or www.croq.be , people may stay and click
If your template is in between, like The Tech FAQ (sorry but I don't think that template is 'the best one') than you may get MUCH MORE CLICKS than the NICE template, just because Tech-Faq template has a great CTR...

The TF template is perfect to get high CTR, Intertet.org doesn't, though, TF isn't that nice and Intertet.org does have a nice one...

So it makes no deal.. the template just gotta be 'better than ugly' but it's not a matter to get the best one out there..

Since there seem to be more of you saying the quality of theme doesn't matter, is it just some combination of hotspots, traffic, and not quite providing the solution so that readers are more inclined to click the ad?

Since there seem to be more of you saying the quality of theme doesn't matter, is it just some combination of hotspots, traffic, and not quite providing the solution so that readers are more inclined to click the ad?

Hotspots

I would call this "good ad placement", although a more cynical person might call this "aggressive ad placement."

In the context of CTR, I would talk more about "niche" than "traffic." Commercial niches will simply outperform informational niches in terms of CTR, and entertainment niches will underperform both.People who are shopping are more willing to click ads than people who are looking for information or looking for entertainment.
Not Providing Solutions

I have never bought into that line of thinking. It's difficult enough to create good content, there is no need to purposefully create useless content.

The penalties for publishing substandard content, from the difficulty is creates for link building to the potential eternal damnation at the hands of a Google Quality Rater far exceed any potential benefits from increased CTR.

I wouldn't say "ugly" but I find more simplistic designs for affiliate marketing tend to get a higher conversion rate.

E.g Restore Your Credit Report a landing page of mine, had the same text with a really complex page didn't convert as well as the design that is on there now. You just have to make sure you test test test.